Many mechanisms on an aircraft may require relatively strong forces to open and close. For example, stowage bins, loaded with luggage, may weigh upwards of one hundred pounds or more, and require a sizeable force to open and close. As such, power-assist devices have been utilized to assist with the opening or closing of mechanisms, such as, stowage bins, doors, hatches, etc. Size, weight, noise and other considerations make some power-assist devices, such as noisy motors, a less than ideal solution when aggregating the number of power-assist devices within a system, which is the case for power-assist devices for stowage bins on an aircraft.